Hydraulic fracturing is a term that has been applied to a variety of methods used to stimulate the production of fluids (e.g., oil, natural gas, brines, etc.) from subterranean formations. In hydraulic fracturing, a fracturing fluid is injected down a wellbore and against the face of the formation at a pressure and flow rate at least sufficient to overcome the overburden pressure and to initiate and/or extend a fracture(s) into the formation. The fracturing fluid usually carries a proppant (e.g., 20-40 mesh sand, bauxite, glass beads, etc.) into a fracture which keeps the formation from closing back down upon itself when the pressure is released. The proppant-filled fractures provide permeable channels through which the formation fluids can flow to the wellbore and thereafter be withdrawn.
When preparing, transporting, and/or handling proppant for use in hydraulic fracturing, large amounts of dust, such as silica dust and other proppant dust, may be created by the movement of the proppants. This dust can produce potentially detrimental effects, such as damaging equipment on the hydraulic fracturing site.
Alternative solutions that minimize dust during handling, such as spraying the proppant with moisture, an oil or a coating, typically require high use levels of such materials, which can detrimentally cause the proppant particles to adhere to one another or behave cohesively, resulting in flowability problems.
The problem addressed by this invention is the provision of new technologies that limit the generation of dust from proppants.